Ruby (elephant)

Ruby (July 13, 1973 – November 6, 1998) was a 4.5 ton asian elephant who lived at the Phoenix Zoo and was famous for creating paintings.

She would scatter grain in her small 20-by-30 foot enclosure to lure ducks into range, then she stomped them to death.

Another female Asian elephant, Indu, was loaned from the Houston Zoo to be Ruby's birthing companion.

On Halloween, the zoo's veterinarians determined that her calf had died in her womb, and the decision was made to perform a Caesarean operation.

When surgery began on November 6, it was discovered that her uterus had ripped and a massive infection had spread through her abdominal cavity.

[6] Ruby was euthanized immediately and her death triggered an outpouring of grief throughout the Phoenix area.